


Teenagers Beware

by saminwunderland



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Eddie is in love with Richie, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Richie might be in love with Eddie, Someone help these dumb teenagers, there is no pennywise or curse in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 00:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21234917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saminwunderland/pseuds/saminwunderland
Summary: Eddie finds a teenage advice book at the library with a list on how to tell if your friend is a homosexual. He decides to follow the list to see if his crush on Richie might be reciprocated. Based on this tumblr post: https://littleturtle95.tumblr.com/post/187856491144/please-somebody-turn-this-into-a-fic-but-instead





	1. Don't You Know These Books Are Crap?

Eddie had found the tattered advice book on a shelf at the back of the Derry Public Library that looked as though no one had touched it since the books were placed there 50 years ago. When he checked the library card, he found that _A Guide to Teenage Life_ by William Marshall hadn’t been checked out since 1958.  
‘Not surprised,’ Eddie thought, knowing that most of the advice in the book was probably ridiculous or downright offensive by today’s standards. Curiosity got the better of the boy though, and he decided to take the book to the nearest table and thumb through it, for a laugh more than anything. Most of the contents of the book were what Eddie expected, chapters on etiquette and how to dress ‘properly’ for social events. However, when Eddie reached the chapter on relationships, one little blue advice box caught his eye:

**TEENAGERS: BEWARE OF THE “FRIEND” OF YOUR OWN SEX WHO:**  
** 1\. Is too “nice” to be true.**  
** 2\. Wants to spend time with you alone.**  
** 3\. Proposes that you be roommates and sleep in the same bed.**  
** 4\. Writes you love notes as to a sweetheart.**  
** 5\. Directs the conversation to intimate matters.**  
** 6\. Wants to touch the private parts of your body.**  
** THESE ARE SOME OF THE TRADEMARKS OF HOMOSEXUALITY.**

Initially, Eddie scoffed at the box and wrote it off as more ridiculous and frankly out of touch advice from this so-called “expert” on teen life, William Marshall. After all, Eddie had known he was gay for basically his whole life and didn’t need a book to tell him how a gay person supposedly behaved. But then, glancing back over the list, an idea came to Eddie. What if he could use the list to his advantage? It was probably misguided and completely inaccurate, but what if the list was right?  
Eddie had long denied his crush on Richie Tozier, the bespectacled loudmouth of the Losers Club who had a propensity for your mom jokes – mainly at the expense of Myra Kaspbrak. Richie was straight – that much was obvious to Eddie from the endless jokes about sex and being the only non-virgin of the group – and Eddie didn’t want to ruin their friendship or make things weird for all of their friends by confessing his long-held feelings for Richie. But ever since senior year began, Eddie had noticed Richie getting closer to him than any of the other losers. Wrestling with him more than any of the other boys, slinging his arm around his shoulder at any given chance, always wanting to sit by him at the movies. A flash of Richie grabbing his cheeks and yelling “Cute, cute, cute!!” ran through Eddie’s head and left him blushing in the back corner of the library.  
Taking one more look at the list before slamming the book shut, Eddie had made up his mind. He was going to try it – try to go through the list one by one with Richie, though he was skeptical he’d make it past number three. At any rate, Eddie wanted to be sure of where he stood with Richie and maybe William’s ridiculous advice book could help him get some answers. He took the book to the circulation desk and asked to check it out, the librarian giving him a puzzled look that seemed to say _Don’t you know these books are crap?_ but handing the book over anyway. Eddie would start with number one, _is too “nice” to be true_, the next day.


	2. 1. Is Too "Nice" To Be True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the Losers Club Friday night movie night, Eddie notices Richie is being nicer to him than usual. Was the list right, or was it all in his head?

Richie was a pain in the ass. Everyone knew it, and it’s what everyone loved the most about him. Whenever the Losers Club hung out everyone was prepared to get roasted by Richie and no one was better at throwing it back at him than Eddie. Eddie – or more specifically Eddie’s mom – had always been the main target of Richie’s ribbing and Eddie had quickly grown used to it. But when Richie’s ribbing had started to inch closer to flirting, Eddie was thrown off his normal track of shouting back “fuck off Rich” or “alright Trashmouth, keep it in your pants” at every quip.

The gang was camped out in Bill’s basement, watching movies like they did every Friday night since freshman year. Ben and Bev were snuggled up in a much too small recliner, and Bill and Stan were tangled up on the couch next to Mike. Everyone was used to the couples of the group being attached at the hip, cuddling during movies or slipping away to the bathroom for a quick make-out session if they got bored. Richie and Eddie usually sat together on the loveseat, Eddie occasionally throwing his legs up on the couch, feet resting on Richie’s thighs. They’d always been comfortable with closeness and not thought much of it; that was until Richie started in on Eddie halfway through _The Breakfast Club._

“Hey Eds, if we were the breakfast club you’d definitely be Claire,” Richie giggling as he said so.

“What the fuck Richie! I’m definitely Claire! We literally have the same hair!” Bev called back across the room.

“Nah, Bev, you’re definitely Allison. Eddie here’s the cutest so he’s definitely Claire-worthy.” Eddie blushed as soon as the word ‘cutest’ slipped out of Richie’s mouth.

“Shut up Richie, I’m not the cutest here, and Bev is definitely Claire. She could be Molly Ringwald’s twin.” Eddie shoved Richie’s arm, still not moving his legs off of Richie’s.

“Whatever you say, babe.” Richie said, pinching Eddie’s cheek and causing Eddie to push his hand away and blush even harder.

“Alright guys, stop flirting we can’t even hear the movie,” Stan yelled at the two, glancing up at Bill and giving him an all too knowing look.

“We’re not flirting!” Eddie insisted, looking at Richie to gauge his reaction to Stan’s comment.

“Hey you might not be, but I definitely am. Who could resist flirting with a cutie like you Spaghetti Man?” Richie quipped, eliciting a groan from Eddie.

“Don’t call me Spaghetti Man, Trashmouth.” Eddie always acted like hated Richie’s nicknames for him, despite the warm feeling they made rise in his chest.

“Shut. UP!” erupted the whole group, trying to focus on the last few minutes of the movie.

“Sorry.” Echoed Richie and Eddie.

Trying to refocus on the movie, Eddie’s mind wandered back to the advice book sitting in his backpack.

_Too nice to be true…_ _Richie wasn’t being nice… was he?_ Eddie thought, trying to convince himself he was thinking too much and the book couldn’t possibly be right. _But he did call me cutie…_ Eddie spent the rest of the movie trying to think of the last time Richie had made a comment like that to any of the other losers and came up blank.

“What do you guys wanna watch next?” Bev announced, snapping Eddie back to reality.

“Ooh, ooh, Dirty Dancing!” Richie shouted, jumping up to grab the VHS off the shelf. “Eddie, let me pick you up like Patrick Swayze!” Richie yelped, running over to Eddie and trying to wedge his hand under Eddie’s arms.

Eddie just stared at Richie, trying to figure out where any of this was coming from. Richie was always messing with the other losers but this was… weird.

“Richie don’t you dare try to pick me up or I’ll kick you straight in the shins,” Eddie yelled, squeezing his arms to his sides so Richie couldn’t get access to lift him off the couch.

“Come onnnn, why won’t you be my baby?” Richie whined, crossing his arms in dejection and pouting at Eddie.

“Richie, you will drop me and I’ll break something and then we’ll all have to go to the hospital and ruin movie night.” Eddie knew Richie wouldn’t actually drop him, he was surprisingly strong for how much of a beanpole he was, but he knew he’d get too flustered if Richie actually lifted him up.

“Damn Eds, no faith in your man?” Richie said, feigning being hurt and putting on his best puppy dog eyes. Eddie was having none of it.

“You guys are r-r-ridiculous. Just p-put the movie on Richie. And don’t break anything in the process.” Bill grumbled, knowing that Richie would keep pushing the matter if no one stopped him.

“Fine, I guess my romantic gestures will have to wait,” Richie said, shuffling over to the VCR and popping in the tape.

_Maybe he just wanted to lift me cause I’m the smallest one of the group… _Eddie thought, insistent on finding an explanation other than the one he wanted so badly to be true.

Richie and Eddie settled back into their position on the couch after the second movie of the night started playing, Richie leaning back on the couch with Eddie’s feet in his lap. Twenty minutes later, Eddie nearly jumped out of his skin when Richie started rubbing the feet resting in his lap. Feeling Eddie flinch, Richie backed off, glancing over to the smaller boy with a look as if to say _just relax, I’m being nice. _And he was being nice. Too nice. All night.

Number one on the list was checked off in Eddie’s mind – a fact that made him both ecstatic and terrified, knowing he’d have to keep going down the list.


End file.
